Abstract

Vanuatu celebrated its twenty-fifth year of independence in 2005. However, it has largely been "business as usual" on the political front, with the normal morass of personal or personality-based politicking, leavened by a number of scandals. There was some instability in the national government and some political parties, and a number of management issues arose in various state institutions, but 2005 was not as turbulent as some recent years have been. It has, however, been a year of complexity. Maneuverings within and between parties have affected both local (municipal) and national politics, and local politics has affected national politics as well. Various state-owned enterprises have also had their composition affected as the political fortunes of various parties have changed.